Pharaoh Ants
Learn about Utah Pharaoh Ants
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Description
Pharaoh Ants are a significant pest in many parts of the world. They are found in most tropical and subtropical regions but can also occur in heated buildings in temperate areas. Their potential for spreading disease pathogens is well recognized, and they can become a nuisance even in hospitals. They are also difficult to control because they tend to split (bud) into two or more colonies when disturbed.
Pharaoh Ants are tiny (1/16 inches long) and usually yellowish or brownish-red color with darker abdomens. The workers have a pair of spines on the back of their waist (gaster). Pharaoh Ant colonies form large networks of nests containing many queens, and workers regularly travel between them to share food and other resources.
Workers feed on virtually any food but prefer sweet items such as honeydew from aphids and other insects, grease, proteins, oils, and dead insects. In hospitals, they have been reported to feed on open wounds, intravenous solutions, and stored blood units.
Habitat
Pharaoh Ants are found in warm, humid places such as kitchens, bathrooms, and wall voids. They are also commonly found in hospitals and nursing homes. These ants are attracted to water and build their nests near water pipes and sinks. The colonies usually have multiple queens, spreading quickly across a building. Pharaoh Ants cannot tolerate cold temperatures, so their nests are typically found indoors or within buildings with adequate warmth to survive.
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Diet
If you see Pharaoh Ants inside your home, they are seeking food, water, and shelter. Pharaoh Ants feed on various foods, including fats, oils, grease, baked goods, sugar, jelly, fruit, honey, pet foods, dead insects, and leather.
Life Cycle & Reproduction
The life cycle of a Pharaoh Ant has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. After mating, the female lays eggs that hatch in 6-11 days. The larval stage lasts 8-10 days. The pupal stage lasts 7-11 days. Adult workers live an average of 5 weeks; females live 7 to 10 weeks, and males live up to 4-6 weeks. The entire life cycle requires approximately 21 to 32 days under ideal conditions.
Pharaoh Ants breed continuously year-round and may produce up to 2,500 individuals in a single colony during their lifetime. Pharaoh Ant colonies, in general, have no reproductive or seasonal cycle. The number of new queens emerging from egg development is not fixed. However, new queens emerge in spring and summer due to increased temperature and humidity.
Newly emerged reproductive females would leave their original colonies, searching for suitable sites to set up new colonies. The newly formed queen will lay eggs at the right place within one month after its emergence.
Threat
Pharaoh Ants are a significant threat to public health because they are attracted to the same foods we eat. They can enter and contaminate sterile areas such as hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and other enclosed environments. Hospitals have reported outbreaks associated with pharaoh ant infestations. These ants have been found in surgical wounds and IV bottles.
Pharaoh Ants have been associated with staphylococcal food poisoning outbreaks in homes, restaurants, and nursing homes. Pharaoh ants can often go unnoticed because of their small size and light coloration until their numbers become great. It is not uncommon for several colonies of pharaoh Ants to co-exist within the same building. Click here to learn about ant elimination.
Common Utah Pests
- American Cockroaches
- Bed Bugs
- Black Widows
- Box Elder Bugs
- Brown Recluse
- Carpenter Ants
- Carpenter Bees
- Carpet Beetles
- Centipedes
- Earwigs
- Elm Seed Bugs
- Crickets
- German Cockroaches
- Gophers
- Hobo Spiders
- Honey Bees
- Indian Meal Moths
- Lawn Pests
- Mice
- Millipedes
- Mosquitoes
- Norway Rats
- Oriental Cockroaches
- Paper Wasps
- Pavement Ants
- Pharaoh Ants
- Roof Rats
- Sow Bugs
- Termites
- Voles
- Yellow Jackets